Grappling tongs



June 5, 1923.

H. MARCUM GRAPPLING TONGs Filed May 29. 1922 Patented June 5, v1923.

Haavn MARcUmoF BooNEvILL'E, KENrrUoKxnssIGNon or cnn-HALF.

rom) s. nonnrs, or HAZARD, KENTUCKY.

To RUTHEa- GRAPPL'ING Toners.

appugation ied May 29, 1922. seiiai not 564,356, Y A

fication, reference being had-to the" accom` panying drawings.

Diiculty has been Iefqoerienced in fishing or getting various larticles or objects .out ot bored wells, therefore, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a device of y the present charactenadapted to be lowered into a well, regardless of its depth, for grap pling objects or articles, and then drawing or lifting them out.

To accomplish this result the present device comprises a pair of members pivoted together at their point of intersection and provided with grapping forks, which when the device is lowered it will grapple or grip the object or article, and hold it firm until it is 'lifted or drawn from the well, in combination with means operatively connecting the other ends of the members, for operating the grapping forks, in order that they may grip the article or object.

Another purpose is the provision of a link pivoted to one of the grappingvmembers and sliding through an eye of the other grapping member, so that by the manipulation of a pair of ropes (which are connected to the eye and the link) the grapping forks may be opened and closed. In fact the forks when the device is lowered Ainto thewell may be first opened, to grapple the article or object, after which one of the ropes may be actuated to pull upon the link, -which in turn will cooperate with one of the members for closing the grapping forks.

A further purpose is the provision of teeth upon the inturned terminals of the prongs of the grappling forks, to insure a firm grip upon the object or article to be lifted from the bored well.

It is to be understood that the particulars herein given are in no way limitative and that while still keeping within the scope of the invention, any desired modifications of detail and desired proportions may be made in the apparatus according to circumstances.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth., shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawingsg Figure 1 isa view in perspective showing i the grappling'device in a position lowered in` a well, showing the grappling forks open, and the link disposed, so that when manipu' lating one of the ropes, the forks may close;

Figure Q ,is a similar view showing ,the

grappling forks partly closed'ionanf article, the link having been actuated to effect Vthe closing operation ofthe forks. A

Referring .to the drawings, landQ .desig-i nate two members, ofelongated fornnwhich Y are pivoted to ether at their point of inte-rsection, as inc icated at B. i These members have jaws 4, which are in the form o-f grapf pling forks or tongs 5. The prongs of both grappling forks or tongs have, their termi-v nals extended toward each other, as shown at 6, and these extensions 6 are provided with teeth 7, to insure a firm grip of the forks upon the article or object to be lifted from the well.

The member 1 has a shank 8, in an eye 9 a of which, the .eyelO of a link 11 is pivoted,

This link 1l is curved or of arcuate shape7 and y .when the grappling device is lowered into a bored well, the cable or rope 17is held taut` until the prongs of the grappling fork of the member 2 contact. with the bottom of the well, or contact with a portion of the object or artic'e'to be lifted. The rope 16 is allowed to slack, and by vibrating the cable or rope, the member 1 will tilt sufficiently upon its pivot with the member 2, so as to arrange itsl fork in an open position, in

which case the eye 12 will assume a yposition adjacent the eye 14, as shown in Figure 1. The cable or rope 17 is then allowed to slack, whereas a pulling action is imparted upon the rope or cable 16, which will actuate the link 11, and due to its curvature or arcuate shape, the link will camthrough the eyejl,

and cause the grappling forks or tongsto grip the object or article to be lifted from the Well. A continuous pulling upon the cables, a greater tension being exert-ed upon the cable 16'Y tokeep the grapplingfoiks'or tongs closed upon the object, will enable the article or object to be drawn from 'the livell.

The invention haviigb'een 'set' 'fortl'i,`= what is claimed is l. A grappling device comprising a `pair of crossed members pivotally united at Atheir point of intersection, the corresponding end portions of the members 'terminating in grappling forks, the prongs of the lforks having gripping teeth, the shank of one member having an eye, and a link pivoted to the shank of the other member and adapted to operatively clamp through lthe eye ofy said one member for actuating themembers to cause the forks to ,grapple 'an object, and means for actuating the link.

l 2. A grapplingdevice'comprising apair of `crossedmembers pivotally unitedl at their f point of intersection, the corresp'ondingfj'aws of said members having grappling means for rappling an object orv article to vbe ylifted .25 'rom a Well, an arcnatelink pivted tothe Yfaction upon the link,the grappling means -may be drawn-toward'e'ach'other in; grappling -'en'gagementivith an object or article to be lifted.

A 'grappling device comprising a pair of intersecting members, means for pivot- *ally uniting said members at their point of intersection, said members` havingl their corresponding end' portions Vvprovided With grappling means, the shank of'one member having an eye,` an arcuate link pivote'd to the terminal of the shank of the othervmember and having a sliding engagement With said eye, whereby upon a pull exerted upon the link, a clamping action of the link through the eye is created, for causingthe grappling means to grip the article to be'lifted.

` In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signa-ture.

'HRVE MARUM. 

